Very bad performance through B57 / Q57 / CE1000 adapters

(Last modified: 07Jun2004)

This document (10092915) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

fact

Novell Volera Excelerator 2.3

Novell iChain

Novell NetWare

Broadcom B57 Gigabit Adapter Driver (B57.LAN)

Compaq/HP Q57 Gigabit Adapter Driver (Q57.LAN)

Intel Ce1000 Gigabit Driver (CE1000.LAN)

symptom

Very bad performance through B57 / Q57 / CE1000 adapters

Using the Volera load line parameter (set eth0 loadlineparameters) to either turn on polling mode or interrupt-driven mode fails to resolve the problem.

cause

In some situations, gigabit adapters function significantly better in interrupt mode than in polling mode.

fix

Switch from polling mode to interrupt driven mode.

Edit "POLL =1" to "POLL =0" in SYS:ETC\NETINFO.CFG in the following line (example is for CE1000 driver)

change this line:
  LOAD CE1000 NAME=CE1000_1_EII FRAME=Ethernet_II SLOT=7 POLL=1 XSUMRX=1 XSUMTX=1

to read as follows:
  LOAD CE1000 NAME=CE1000_1_EII FRAME=Ethernet_II SLOT=7 POLL=0 XSUMRX=1 XSUMTX=1

(emphasis added for illustrative purposes)

note

Due to certain entries in the NetWare registry, it may be necessary to rebuild the box for this to take effect.  If, when changing an ethX parameter (the IP address, for example), the performance returns to its formerly dismal state, the POLL= statement has likely reverted to the default of POLL=1. 

To permanently fix this, download the B57, Q57, or CE1000 driver, including both the LDI and LAN files (i.e. B57.LAN and B57.LDI).  Put them on the root of a floppy diskette.  Edit the .LDI file so that the polling section defaults to 0 rather than one, as in the following example:

In B57.LDI (Q57.LDI and CE1000.LDI have similar sections), find the following:

   PR POLL REQ

   {
      HELP:           "Interrupt driven (0) or Polled mode (1)"
      TYP:            DECIMAL (1)
      VAL:            0-1
      DEF:            1
      Out:            'POLL=%s'
   }

}

Note that the DEF value is set to 1.  Change this line to read:

  DEF:          0

Put the .LDI file at the root of a floppy diskette, along with the corresponding .LAN file.  Use this floppy to update the drivers, as prompted, during the CD installation procedure.

For Volera Excelerator and Novell iChain, access to NETINFO.CFG requires debug mode.  Contact Novell Technical Support if assistance is required.

In Volera Excelerator 2.1 and 2.2, the default setting was POLL=0.  In other words, the driver would load in interrupt-driven mode.  A change was made in 2.3, for performance reasons, to turn polling on by default.  In the rare situation, polling needs to be turned off.

document

Document Title:	Very bad performance through B57 / Q57 / CE1000 adapters
Document ID:	10092915
Solution ID:	NOVL96998
Creation Date:	17May2004
Modified Date:	07Jun2004
Novell Product Class:	Volera

disclaimer

The Origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this information. However, the information provided in this document is for your information only. Novell makes no explicit or implied claims to the validity of this information.
Any trademarks referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners. Consult your product manuals for complete trademark information.